Man Put In A Coma For Three Weeks Because Of A Paper Cut

Newsroom

Posted on September 30, 2016
by Amy Taeuber

A tiny paper cut has left an American man fighting for life, after it became so badly infected he contracted sepsis.

Michael Berger was placed in a medically induced coma and given a 50 per cent chance of survival after contracting the disease, which kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer and AIDs combined. Sepsis is a toxic response to an infection which can lead to rapid organ failure.

The 46-year-old was treated at the Kennedy Hospital in Cheery Hill and thanks to a nationally recognised sepsis program survived.

'It scared the hell out of me,' he told CBS. 'I can't believe that was actually me,' he continued.

Source: CBS

While the sepsis program has helped save 181 lives since it launched in 2012, others haven’t been so lucky. Annually the disease kills more than 258,000 people.

Doctors say catching the disease early is the key to survival, as patients can be treated with antibiotics and IV fluids.

'The ultimate goal is to recognise it, treat it and minimise any side effects a patient may have so it doesn't progress to severe sepsis or septic shock,' said Marianne Kraemer, the hospital's administrative director for infection control.

What makes the disease so hard to diagnose is the fact its symptoms vary. Three signs which indicate you may have contracted the disease include, a body temperature above 101 F or below 96.8 F, a heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute and a respiratory rate higher then 20 breaths a minute.